Community Policing

Community policing is democracy in action. It requires the active participation of local government, civic and business leaders, public and private agencies, residents, churches, schools and hospitals. All who share a concern for the welfare of a neighborhood also share the responsibility for safeguarding that welfare.

In essence, community policing is a collaboration between the police and the community. All members of the community become active allies in the effort to identify and solve local problems while enhancing the safety and quality of the environment.

Community policing encompasses a variety of philosophical and practical approaches. Strategies vary depending on the needs and responses of the communities involved; however, certain basic principles and considerations are common to all community policing efforts, most notably a core relationship between the police and the community they serve.

The Upstate Medical University Police has a firm foundation of community policing and operates in a variety of non-traditional roles that help enhance the relationship between the department itself and the institution we serve. It is the goal of the University Police department to operate in a community policing role not only as a police agency, but as an active member of the community as well.